Arc'teryx Presents: Wet Lycra Nightmare
2023 · 21 min · Big Wall, Documentary · Arc'teryx
Arc’teryx’s short film follows Jordan Cannon and Sam Stroh on Wet Lycra Nightmare, a steep big‑wall free line in Yosemite rated 5.13d. The film documents a high‑stakes day on the Leaning Tower where Cannon takes a fall near the top of a crux pitch and stays committed to supporting his partner; Stroh completes the lead and, according to the film, becomes the fifth person to free the route. The sequence footage and chaptered edits make the route, its sustained difficulty, and the redpoint attempt easy to parse for climbers interested in pitch structure and tactics. Cannon returns the following season and spends two days redpointing the wall; the film shows the logistics of big‑wall redpointing, the movement challenges on sustained 5.13d climbing, and the partner work that makes a long free ascent possible. Alex Honnold appears in the film in a supporting/archival capacity. The piece is useful for climbers who want a clear, compact record of a modern Yosemite big‑wall free ascent and how redpointing a hard multi‑pitch line unfolds on the rock.
Review
The best Leaning Tower film I have seen, and one of the clearest records of modern Yosemite free climbing on this site. Arc'teryx follows Jordan Cannon and Sam Stroh on Wet Lycra Nightmare, nine pitches and roughly 900 feet of 5.13d on one of the steepest walls in North America.
This is for climbers who care about pitch structure and tactics. The chaptered edit makes the route easy to parse, and the film shows what stacking 5.13d pitches back to back on overhanging rock actually costs. Skip it if you want scenery. The Leaning Tower is dark and steep, and the camera stays on the rock.
The moment that earns the runtime is the fall. Cannon comes off near the top of a crux pitch and, rather than folding, stays committed to supporting Stroh, who completes the fifth free ascent of the route. Cannon then returns in December and redpoints the wall over two days, leading every pitch first try except the 5.13d roof, which takes two attempts. That structure, one season of failure and one of success, is the film's real subject.
What it gets wrong is Alex Honnold. He made the second free ascent in 2015 and appears in a supporting role, and the film uses him as a name more than as a source. Babsi Zangerl & Jacopo Larcher vs Zodiac covers a comparable 5.13d El Cap free ascent in ten minutes. That one is a record. This one is a story, and it is the better watch.
